New Beginner

I think you mean Taiki-ken. Not too sure about the circle and point theory, but Kenichi Sawai apparently adapted the style from his training in Yiquan. Hanshi Arneil trained alongside Sosai Oyama under Sawai and has talked about it but not at great length. I think Jan Kallenbach from the Netherlands was one of Sawai's own students and teaches the style alongside Kyokushin, and Kancho Royama of Kyokushinkan is also a high profile Taiki-Ken advocate. More info here.. http://www.taikiken.org/

Well I don't disagree with you but, Wikipedia aside, experience of UK police and courts handling of self defence cases that I know of, often defy belief, I urge anyone to watch the BBC Panorama documentary about Fighting Back that was screened last night, hopefully it will be screened on US BBC channels at some point. Ultimately I just wouldn't like to see a nice well-behaved kid get a taste for violence at such a young age, which is a danger that perhaps pales against the danger of him not protecting himself I know. If only these situations were as clear in real life as they are in training.

Hi Kez, I'm sorry to read about this and I know it's very distressing for you being his mum, but Ryan's probably learnt alot about himself from this situation. I'm not going to pass judgement on whether anything is lacking in training, he is only nine years old and in the UK beating people into the the ground because they grabbed you around the throat or entered your personal space is not accepted by the courts as 'minimum force' so I would not like to see a precedent set for his future. It's very easy for people to sit back after an event and say 'well he should have been trained to say this or do that' but it's impossible to re-create a real situation in training, no matter how 'realistic' the scenarios you create, you cannot stimulate the 'fight or flight' responses that paralyse so many able martial artists because they recognise that the threat simply isn't real. For us adults it's fine, we can enter Knockdown, Muay Thai, Boxing or MMA competitions or go and work as bouncers or police officers in order to stimulate the adrenaline, but only a psychopath can ever remain totally unaffected by the stress of genuine confrontation and people all react differently. I think Ryan needs support and perhaps less of a fuss about the situation as possible. I had similar situations at school and whilst distressing they were quickly forgotten and we were so fickle as kids that we were often friends again the next day. If I'm honest I have to say I would have been mortified if my mum had come up to the school, I'd never have lived it down. Maybe times have changed. I hope he feels better about it soon, young kids can be really horrible to eachother. I'm not saying that the situation isn't serious and it definitely needs tackling, but he needs to find his feet at this point more than ever and most of all he shouldn't feel in any way ashamed, but he probably does. That's just from my own humble experience Kez. Good luck.

Hmmm, where to start? So many over the years. My worst is not probably the most severe but the most far-reaching which was a cracked sternum, as it is still slightly displaced to this day (14 years on) and has contributed to back problems etc, although I can't complain, nothing that serious. Most painful at the time were probably broken toes and a broken hand, my technique improved much after these incidents!

Theoretically you are correct, but it's making the commitment to that extra grading that is the difference between a brown and a black belt. If you had access to go through all the decent martial arts organisations files you'sd probably find that brown belts outnumber black belts 2-1, because so many become satisfied at brown belt and don't commit to that 'next level', that's the difference for the most part as far as I'm concerned. Many of the larger organisations are full to the brim of 'in my day' brown belts that drift in and out of the dojo when it suits them and never progress either in rank or in ability. I agree with all previous posts that black belt is part of a journey, not a destination, but if it meant nothiing then none of us would have ever strived as hard as we did to achieve it.

I would love to see that portion of your test. After completing everything else, than attempting to go that long in continuous sparring. I did 20 minutes of continuous sparring for my Shodan test and I was shocked at how tiring it was, and we start our test with that sparring. I've been through Marine Corps bootcamp, so I understand that the human body and mind can continue a lot longer than most people give themselves credit for, but your test seems a little super human to me. I love to see it done. Have you read about some of the kyokushin kumites in testings? Sometimes 20 man, and the real crazy one is the 40 man, and reportedly, there is only one person who completed it. Here is a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyokushinkai#Multi-man_kumite The 100 man kumite is the traditional test. Check here: http://www.kyokushinresults.freeserve.co.uk/Pages/Kumite/Kumitetests.htm I was fortunate and honoured to witness a 50 man kumite and it was not a pretty sight, despite being successful, but it was completely seperate from grading. The fighting in gradings is hard and there are many but there is no prerequisite number, attempting a genuine kumite test is a personal choice and the fact only two people in the UK have acheived the 50 man in 13 years is testimony to how tough it is when administered properly.

The nearest is probably Beverley in East Yorkshire, which is part of the BKK. There are also BKK clubs in Derby, Loughborough and Oldham.

No two 'real' fights are the same so it would be irelevant anyway. It would be morally wrong (in my opinion) to put yourself into a situation to specifically get into a fight if you are there specifically to see how well you can beat somebody up. The two worst case scenarios are that you could end up seriously hurting somebody and go to prison as well as ruin many peoples' lives, or end up dead yourself. Go in for a knockdown tournament, at least the person you will fight will be a trained athlete that has been training specifically to try and knock you out, not a random drunk or a thug that may well be armed anyway.

If you are part of Kyokushin then the first test of your skills would be to enter a knockdown tournament. Hitting pads and bags is one thing, but a real person won't stand there and let you just hit them with your best mawashi geri, they'll be trying to knock you out too. If you want to test other skills aside from specific knockdown rules, you can progress to MMA with the right training, but knockdown is a good place to start to test your reaction to confrontation and adrenaline, and to being hit hard, even though it is a controlled situation.

I agree with Lordtariel, many different issues here. Even if you're being paid by your boyfriend's dojo, you do not have to accept rudeness and you do not have to rise to it either. A grading card/license book being tossed accross the table to me on a regular basis if I were a receptionist would prompt me to start gently pushing it back accross the table without even acknowledging the person, and gently ignore and not process anything to do with that person until they were able to act in a civilised manner, usually this approach does prompt a change in behaviour. Snatching normally inspires me to hold onto whatever they are attempting to snatch whilst cocking my ear in their direction waiting for a 'please and thank you' in an extremely patronising manner . This has nothing to do with martial arts or dojos and everything to do with common courtesy, which as Sosai Mas Oyama said, is what Karate begins and ends with. All very easy to say when you are used to it I know, it takes courage to stand up to people for the first time, and there's a difference between being assertive in that way and losing your temper, the butterflies will come, the voice will quiver, but you'll know that you're doing the right thing. It's unfortunate that your boyfriend only seems to take the issue seriously because it's disrupting his home life, not on a point of principle or concern for your feelings and happiness. You're doing a good job for him and he needs to appreciate you and take you seriously, if you refuse to deal with abusive and disrespectful people (yes that includes NOT taking their money) then when he wonders why they haven't paid he may take the issue more seriously. If he sacks you as a result of you refusing to be a doormat to stroppy teenage girls and their parents, then you're better off out of it, but I doubt that he will.

Hi Shotokan-Kez, Seems like only five minutes ago you were worried over your 1st kyu grading and here we are worrying about the next! How time flies. Our belts are made by Isami in Japan and are really, really nice. The quality of the calligraphy and embroidery make a big difference and we're very lucky to have someone attached to our organisation that is Sensei level in Japanese calligraphy, so that side is taken care of. So if you're going for that, take the time to get it done nicely as it's something that you will hopefully keep forever and pass on, once you've got it that is. Remember it's just a belt at the end of the day, it's heartbreaking but people do lose them and revert to wearing a plain one from the shops, at which point you need to remember it's you that makes the belt and not the other way round. Good luck with the training.

I agree with Oldskoul. My own Dan gradings were all extremely hard, and they are times that i will never, ever forget. I believe that high level gradings should be a test of character as much as a test of technique and strength. Technical proficiency accompanied by a swaggering and cocky attitude, or simple over-confidence would not be what i would want to see from a shodan, although I admit I had elements of that attitude myself as a shodan, it is a new start after all, a beginner's grade. I don't believe harsh gradings at Dan level are to simply break people down like you would a raw military recruit. It can be relatively easy for students to turn up at the dojo weekly and train fairly hard, but the grading has to be very hard to see how far the student is willing to push him or herself, to see how much it really means to them, to see whether they are just 'good' because they are able to do everything asked or if they have the maturity and mettle to dig deep beyond the point where they may be just 'going through the motions'. Ultimately, it is an achievement and nothing more, it's the person that makes the grade and not vice versa. Some very well respected karate-ka that i know have failed shodan gradings simply because they were not ready, even though they were brilliant.

There's a balance to be struck in sparring, especially if in a style that is full-contact, between enough hard contact to genuinely prepare a student for confrontation, and the unacceptable situation of a lower grade being used as a punchbag. It is difficult because often lower grades escalate contact levels without actually realising it, and in reality a Nidan should be able to react appropriately to contain the situation, but in reality this of course isn't always the case, we're all human after all. From the original post it wouldn't be the level of contact I would be concerned about as much as the loss of control and use of swearing that would indicate a lack of discipline, an absolutely appalling loss of form in front of lower grades. I did once witness a situation like this when I first started training many years ago and unfortunately as well as holding the students responsible, in hindsight I would have to hold the instructor responsible too. That's not the same as blaming the instructor for his or her students behaviour but as instructors we need to be in control of our students and we always need to be vigilant, especially when kumite is in practice, even one step sparring. In my sessions if I specify heavy contact, then that's what I expect, but if I specify light contact and I hear echoes of thumps off the walls then everybody does the forfeit of horrible excercises until they learn that I mean light contact. Interestingly though, it does very often seem to be the aspiring brown belts in a dojo that seem to want to test the black belts, and having witnessed such sights as Sergey Osipov as a green belt in 1997 knocking out the 3rd Dan favourite in the British Open Knockdown I would never take it for granted that grade will out, it should serve to inform a little graciousness and control into the situation though.

Rolling a wine bottle up and down the shin bone will start to condition it, as will hitting the heavy bag, and a lorry/truck tyre is also useful for low kicking. However, I haven't checked out any verifiable statistics but have heard over the years that excessive shin conditioning can lead to health problems, try and acquaint yourself with the facts before embarking on any conditioning regime.

Apologise to your Sensei first and foremost, in my opinion. There's argy bargy everywhere, if I chinned everyone that bumped into me I'd be arrested in the supermarket every single week. If you don't already have it, check out this book http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Guiding-Principles-Karate-Spiritual/dp/4770027966 , there are some great lessons in there for all of us, especially the one about the master and his three sons for whom he lays a trap, which seems to resonate with your story. The bloke with the bloody nose will get over it.

I've been to a few all-styles tournaments over the years where banzai billies make all kinds of peculiar noises, whilst habitating a world of their own much to the amusement of those of us that are able to ignore it and pick them off! However, I've also seen variations of kiai used with disturbing effect in knockdown and have experienced it too, as a true intimidation tool but it doesn't resemble the screeching and posturing that I think is being discussed here. If you compare it to the verbal, adrenaline fuelled onslaught that often accompanies a real confrontation in the street (usually to the detriment of the person on the receiving end) then I think it's clear that the voice can be used effectively to intimidate and training in kiai shouldn't be discounted per se.

Hi Kez, I hope you're getting used to that 1st kyu by now! Ultimately it's the sensei's decision who he or she admits for whatever reason, I suspect that he is fully aware that you took your son back to your old club with you and is perhaps 'making you pay' for your 'mistake', which seems very petty to me. In Kyokushin people come and go all the time, because it has a tremendously high drop-out rate, unless someone has been expelled from the dojo for misconduct which is almost unheard of, they are always welcome back, my dojo has its share of floaters and it's never been an issue. It's a shame for your son but if the sensei is minded this way he may be better off looking for somewhere entirely new as he's not enjoying himself at your dojo. If this sensei refuses to take students because he thinks they 'might leave' then he may as well close up, because all students leave in the end!

Of course progress should not be too quick, but it's not just time taken that's important, it's what the student is actually doing in that time. For example, it didn't take long for the 'Mcdojos' in my area to cotton on to the fact that people often measure authenticity of the school or style by it taking a minimum of four years to achieve a black belt, and they turned this to their advantage because they simply started dragging out their inadequate processes, and claiming vast sums of money up front from their students that were on the 'black belt programme' and instead of teaching them crap for two years, taught it for four and doubled their money! Alot of it depends on the student and the club or school. I know people that were very good and acheived shodan in five years straight, for me it was almost 17 years between my 10th kyu grading and shodan, although there were a few gaps in my training in the meantime.

There are alot of similarities with Shotokan, although Kyokushin probably has more in common with Goju Ryu, it contains elements of both. It's founder, Sosai Mas Oyama, trained with both Gichin Funakoshi and Gogen Yamaguchi and tried to take what he thought were the most effective methods from both, amongst other things. That's putting things very simplistically, but in answer to your question there are similarities. There is a good Kyokushin dojo in Oldham if you ever fancy a nose just to see the differences, not trying to poach you accross but sometimes it's good to just have a look at different things so that you have a broader knowledge of what's out there.

nidan=2nd dan sandan=3rd dan yondan=4th dan godan=5th dan rokudan=6th dan nanadan=7th dan hachidan=8th dan kudan=9th dan The requirement varies between styles and arts. In kyokushin there is a minimum period of constant training of two years between shodan and nidan, and three years between nidan and sandan. After that, grades are based upon recommendation but there is no guarantee that you will ever be promoted beyond sandan. Promotion to godan which carries the title 'shihan' (master) is rare in legitimate kyokushin organisations (when i say legitimate I'm not talking politically, just those teaching the genuine article). In the end it's worth remembering that it's the person that makes the grade though, not the other way around, and everyone has a worth in the dojo irrespective of rank.

Many congratulations, it's good to hear of a student that cares so much, well done.

Hi End and welcome to the world of Kyokushin! Just keep your water bottle where everyone else does next time, I'm sure nobody minded but in theory you should always ask permission before leaving the dojo, and when re-entering you should bow and 'osu' and kneel in seiza (formal kneeling) until the senpai or sensei invites you back into the class. The shout is a 'kiai' which most karate styles use. Often students use a loud osu as their kiai, but more advanced students often use something that sounds more like "Seeeeyah!!!!". Traditionally the modified version would only be used to mark a specific point (say the 10th repetition of a technique) or in kumite. Kyokushin specifically uses two types of breathing, 'nogare' (silent) and 'ibuki' which is a forced tension breathing. Nogare is usually used to aid recovery after anaerobic activity and is accompanied by specific hand movements, the air is taken in deep through the nose and breathed out silently and gently with the tongue tucked behind the lower teeth. Ibuki is usually performed in sanchin or uchi-hachiji dachi with the arms by the side, or in sanchin no kata. Ibuki is used for several reasons, strength of the abdominals, general health, and it can also aid recovery if you have been winded. I hope that helps and don't worry too much, it will all come in time, especially if you are keen to learn.

It's also typical to pick up an illness before a grading, it's the stress of the training and the pressure that compromises the immune system. You can do it, I had a really bad cold when I took shodan grading, and when I took my sandan I hadn't had any sleep (nerves) and also had a sore throat, it just made me all the more focused and determined, just another part of the test. You'll get through it!

High grade gradings are as much a test of character that they are of technique, your sensei effectively knocked you down a peg a couple of sessions ago, and then let your confidence come back for your last session, which is classic pre-grading behaviour. Some senseis even begin to pretend they barely know a candidate, even though they may have graded them for years. Remember the grading examiner has to be and be seen to be, impartial, so your fellow students that weren't allowed to attempt to grade need to see that there's a difference between you and them and that you're not simply a 'favourite'. No doubt these events have helped focus your mind towards achieving the grade, and you will focus much more intently when you step into the grading, and if you are successful it will mean alot to you, more than it would if you had gone in with the confidence you'd had previously. If you're not nervous in a grading you probably shouldn't be there. Good luck!

A class starting late on a regular basis is inexcusable. In any martial art there is just so much to be taught that 50% of the lesson being spent in warm-up defeats the object, a perfectly adequate limber up can be done in 15 minutes maximum. It may be, with the class being TKD, that extra time is dedicated to stretching to increase flexibility. To have all these periods of inactivity where low grades simply watch a couple of higher grades demonstrating is a waste of time, you could buy them a video for that! Look for somewhere else in my opinion.